Saturday, September 29, 2012

FOR TODAYSaint Michael, the Archangel,Defend us in Battle,be our Defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil...I am thinking...About the girls tea party, they learned that blackberries are traditionally not eaten after September 29, St. Michael's feast day. Because, after St. Michael threw the devil out of heaven, the devil fell among the brambles, and spat upon them. So traditionally, people would only eat blackberries up until the angel's feast day. Learned something new. One of the girls brought bread shaped like a dragon. They were given little swords to stab into the devil- like St. Michael. The analogies are so good, really putting the lesson into their memories.

Outside my window...

Wonderfully grey and dreary with rain off and on all day. Only low 80's.I am praying for...

Intentions - mine, yours, our country's

I am thankful...

for Robin, Molly's violin teacher. She is such an inspiration, positive teacher. Molly walks out of her lesson so much better than going in. She says it is better than therapy.
Molly plays violin in their orchestra and they played a concert for us tonight. We had a great pot luck dinner, then we treated to wonderful arrangements like Canon in D, Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring and the Cantina song from Star Wars! That had Lilly dancing in her seat.
Nicholas was so excited, he is hoping to take up viola lessons next year.(after we finish piano)...

Mrs. Robin fills in on whatever instruments are covered in the piece - very talented and so joyful!

I am pondering...
music lessons.
I start the kids on piano. I don't always have the best luck with piano teachers, but our teacher now is the most knowledgable and talented we have ever had, especially concentrating in fundamentals. Some of my kids want to try another instrument. We have had the current piano teacher only for a little over a year for Molly, just under for Nick and Euly. She and Molly work very well together.
But, overall, it just isn't easy; we have a long drive, a long delay after the drive before class begins, basically a full day's efforts and just about a 100 mile round trip, which I only can now do every other week. So the kids aren't getting enough push.
It seems simple to decide when I write it down. Yes, I need to stop with the current situation. Molly is musically talented on many instruments, but she can't dedicate enough time to piano and violin with all the other things she has going this year. Sometimes I crave change, sometimes I dread it.In the kitchen...
Molly made Burnt Sugar Ice Cream (for her dad)
I made Honey Whole Wheat Bread and Banana Bread in the bread machine.
We are eating lots of apples and grapes and cheese (leftovers from last night's potluck).I am going...

to rest today to get over this cold. No energy. Lilly is sick too. Do lots of laundry.
Nick is very busy tomorrow with scouts: Mass, last Ad Alteri Dei class, service project, ASPL leadership meeting, and swim party. Ahhh... the rest are going to a birthday party.

I am reading...

every Madeline Book that we own and that the library had Thursday to Ceci & Lilly. Ceci loves Madeline! I read Madeline in Washington for the first time, and Madeline in America and other Holiday Tales ,which being from Texas, I had to cringe when the book says they are in Dallas, but has the Capital and the Alamo pictured as if in Dallas. It was still cute; she still loved it.
I am rereading The Story of a Soul, in honor of Saint Therese's feast Day on Monday.
And I also picked up Pope Benedict's Jesus of Nazareth,trying to get settled down to spend some time with it.We are watching...
Shrek. I am shocked I didn't remember so many adult jokes in this movie from when the older kids saw it years ago. Doesn't it make them blush to make movies so scandalous to kids packaged as if wholesome? We are now trying to eliminate movies and books honoring dragons/vampires/ghouls as good things - since mostly are symbols of the devil, and it is confusing to view something we inherently know is bad, as good, or even worse, the champion of the story...So, Shrek is not a good choice for family movie night (but my objection isn't as much with the dragon as in as the poor humor) - it just kind of happened unplanned. Maybe mostly harmless, but when the kids guess the joke-fill-in word, not good (or maybe they are already too worldly since they know what word was implied!).
So, we read The One and Only Shrek by Willian Steig - that I coincidentally checked out from the library this week, and this movie is based on it.
I have found William Steig's humor a little strange and dark for children, so I don't read it to young children, mostly older than 10. Some of my kids were frightened by Sylvester and The Magic Pebble, even though, for my older kids, we had great discussions.I am listening to...

some of Molly's music:
Awolnation's Knights of Shame and Fun.'s All Alone
Good walking music - like the happy beat.

enjoying Friday's concert with her dad

I am looking forward to...

Rosary Walk at the church property next Sunday.
After next weekend, our busy weekend schedules lighten up a bit.

Around the house...

the kids love this cooler weather - even with all the rain. They played flashlight tag with neighbors until very late last night, and air soft wars today. So happy for outdoorsy friends!

O God, who wondrously directs the services of angels and men, grant that our lives on earth may be guarded by the angels who stand ever before Your face ministering to You in heaven. Through our Lord . . .
* the Collect is the Novus Ordo's prayers of the faithful.One of my favorite things...

Lilly discovering her pockets.
And what??!! do you think about Nick's toe shoes? He loves them.
I think they make him look part amphibian.

A few plans for the rest of the week:

this next week should be lighter than the past couple of weeks. No piano, no girls group, but a first Friday coming up on Friday and we need to work confession in the schedule. I think Craig's travel schedule is light as well. - yay! Just a very, very busy weekend next.

A peek into our nature walk this week...this is from Thursday. We had an hour to waste before trying a German class, so we went on a nice long nature walk on a a new-to-us trail. We saw some interesting frogs, deer/hog tracks and lots of acorns.

27. Love/ Hate (don't misunderstand - I LOVE this little girl). SHE has the Love/Hate relationship with being on the GO. She always asks,"Can I come?" But then, on the second, third, fourth,.. stop of getting in and out of the car, she lets me know when she's prefer just to stay put.

Wishful thinking! It will still be hot for a while; heck, it's up to 90 today. No idyllic fall here. Hardly any leaves have changed colors or fallen, kids still swimming every day, heavy duty clothes still packed away. Halloween/All Saint costumes have to be made of light weight material.

As a kid, I always thought the person that wrote books about seasons- especially summer not starting until June and ending in September - didn't live in same country I did. Until I lived that one year in Michigan. That person must have lived in Michigan...

When fall does actually arrive (probably in November) there will be things I'll miss about summer:
1 Smells of freshly mowed grass
2 Hamburgers cooked out on grill
3 Smell of sunscreen & tired out kids from swimming all day
4 Unscheduled days to read a book until its done
5 Seeing the sun up longer than my kids (makes me more productive )
6 Butterflies
7 Vibrant colors of green leaves & flowers in my garden

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Just makes me soooo happy to see so much color and so many more to bloom.

{funny}
three girls in a tree

{real}

Lilly copies everything I do. She loves to hang out with me
wherever I am, and those big eyes take it all in. She loves to help me too. The
job she wants to take over for me now is shredding paper in my office.

( It’s safe – the little protection bar is there to keep her
little fingers away from harm.) What I was concerned about : once she finishes the
pile I have dedicated to be shred, will she look to find more that I don't want in a million pieces?

She had a piece lodged at funny angle so it wouldn’t go
through, so all progress stopped. She came over to me to complain about the
machine not working. After a few minutes later, and all forgotten, gravity
kicked in and the machine started violently chewing up that paper. She jumped,
poor thing. I think she thinks it’s alive, and is keeping her distance for now.

nothing - but I am about to hit 200,000 on my car's odometer...
okay - I shouldn't be snippy about how much I'm in the car.Weekend activities...

Take Nicholas to Annunciation to serve a TLM wedding.
I love Annunciation - so beautiful....
makes me really miss a church building; but, I know, my sweet hard working hubby, and Father and many other are working thir hearts out to get us a building.

A favorite quote/verse/prayer for today...

My brethren, if any of one among you wanders from the truth and some one brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his ways will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sin.

James 5:19-20

One of my favorite things..

a relaxed Sunday afternoon hanging out with my family

A few plans for the rest of the week...Okay - it's a busy one again.Mass, Sunday School, Nick's Ad Alteri Dei class, Scouts, piano, college & regular classes, girls group tea, Molly's orchestra picnic...school!I just asked myself, how did we get so busy? We have our day's dedicated to be at home, then there is exhaustion, and groceries to schedule in next time planning comes around.